Hey there! It’s been a while, but I have finally put my house back together after my Columbus Day Weekend Projects. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, here, I was gearing up for installing some board and batten detail in my entry way nook and painting the living room, stairwell, and upstairs hallway. It was a long Columbus Day Weekend, but very productive.

My dad came for the weekend to help me with everything. We started early Saturday morning and had the board and batten installed just after lunch time. We spend the rest of the day painting the living room ceiling white (two coats of paint). On Sunday we painted the ceiling of the upstairs hallway and stairwell. I don’t do heights and was the perfect ladder holder while dad cut in the stairwell ceiling. Luckily we have a painters extension pole long enough to reach the ceiling, so I was able to roll out the white paint on the ceiling, while still standing on the ground. We got two coats on the ceiling by lunchtime. We also painted the board and batten white, before switching to the wall color. Sunday afternoon and evening was spent painting the stairwell walls and hallway, again two coats. Finally on Monday by 2:30 we were finished painting the living room. Whew! We were dog-gone tired.

I have been thinking about adding board and batten detail to the entry way nook for some time now. Based on the tutorials I researched it was pretty inexpensive and easy to do. For the most part this proved to be true, but we did hit one issue we had to work around, which I’ll discuss in a bit.

To start with, we measured the wall, the depth of the base board, and determined the height of the board and batten. I wanted to keep the window sash mirror in the same location and be able to look in it, so the max height I wanted was 49 inches. But you can make it as high or as low as you want. The wall is 8’ 6” and the base board depth is ¼ inch. Originally I couldn’t find 1×3 wood that was 10 feet long for the shelf and upper part of the board and batten, and we were planning on mitering 2 pieces together. But my dad found some 10 foot wood he ripped down with the table saw. Here is my supply and tool list:
Supplies:
1. Batten wood 2” X ¼ inch
2. 1X3 for top shelf
3. 1X3 for cap at the top of the batten
4. Caulk
5. Wood Filler
6. Fine Grit Sand Paper

Tools:
1. Measure Tape
2. Caulk Gun
3. Chop Saw
4. Table Saw
5. Router
6. Nail Gun & Nails
7. Air Compressor
8. Drill
9. Nail Set
10. Level
11. Stud Finder

Before we started cutting any of the wood, we used the stud finder to measure and map out all of the studs on the wall. The plan was to put a batten in the left corner and then one on each stud, except for the last one. I planted to skip that stud, next to the electrical outlet and put the last batten in the right corner. We numbered each stud, so we could individual measure and label each batten.

We started by assembling the shelf and top horizontal board together. We pre-drilled holes in the wood, to prevent the wood from splitting, and then nailed them together. Our plan was to attach this to the wall and then measure for the battens and install them. This is where we hit a problem, because the wall bowed on the right side. To fix this problem, we disassembled the shelf and horizontal board, attached the horizontal board to the wall, and the shaved off some of the back of the shelf, so it would fit ‘square’ with the bowed wall. You really can’t tell anything was modified when you look at it.

Once the shelf and horizontal board was in place, we added cove molding to the corner.

Then we measured for each batten and cut the specific lengths. Even though the shelf and horizontal board was installed using a level, the floor and base board are not exactly even. We made sure each batten was straight by using a level, and secured them in place on the stud with the nail gun.

Before installing the last one, I taped it in place next to the outlet and then in the corner. The batten didn’t look right, when it was in the corner, so I decided to put it equal distance from the other batten, next to the outlet.

After all of the battens were in place, it was time to set the nails in the wood and fill all of the holes will wood filler. We also had to caulk each of the joints with paintable caulk.

After the wood filler dried, everything was sanded to ensure it was smooth before painting. I used Valspar’s Paint and Primer in one to paint the board and batten. It still took two coats of paint, for a consistent finish.

I love how the board and batten turned out. It was super easy, minus my wonky wall, and adds a lot of character to my entry nook, for a inexpensive price!